NBA Finals, Stanley Cup conclude with mixed ratings results

  Florida repeats while OKC wins their first title, but the world was either at the beach or festivals [Editor’s Note: This article was updated on June 25 to update ratings numbers.] Summer’s here and the time is right – we’re dancing in the streets and not at home watching championship basketball or hockey. The NBA and NHL playoffs have […]

Report: CHSN and WGN-TV could link up to carry games

Comes as RSN is still shut out of Comcast’s systems [Editor’s Note: This post was updated on April 20, as the CHSN app is now available on Samsung TVs.] The Chicago Sun-Times reported on Friday that a deal could be in the works for Nexstar’s WGN-TV to simulcast a limited number of White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks games.  Nothing has […]

USA-Canada 4 Nations Face-Off finale a fantastic smash hit

Viewership high in U.S. but fails to outdraw Super Bowl in Canada The United States may have lost in overtime to Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off in overtime Thursday night but did beat them in another metric: the ratings.  The hotly contested series between the two countries drew an eye-popping 9.25 million viewers on ESPN, marking the most-watched hockey […]

The 4 Nations Face-Off fights its way to the top of the ratings

  Sock ’em robots match a hit with viewers  [Editor’s Note: This piece does contain profanity. Reader discretion is advised.] Remember when some guy named Terence initially dismissed the 4 Four Nations Face-Off as a quick money grab and would flop hard on the ice? I have never made such a miscalculation in the 19-year run of T Dog Media […]

NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off shoots, scores in the ratings

Sets stage for heated U.S.-Canada battle tonight – and has a unique connection to an event in the same building 28 years ago  [This post was updated February 15 at 11:55 p.m.]  Even though this writer had no interest whatsoever (until they started fighting nine seconds into the U.S./Canada game Saturday)  in a contrived quick cash-grab tournament (which is working […]

NHL Winter Classic flops with viewers, fans

Blackhawks get pummeled at Wrigley Field and in the ratings as classic moved to New Year’s Eve It’s fitting that the awful year in Chicago sports was topped off by the Blackhawks playing nothing resembling hockey in the NHL Winter Classic.  As first reported by Sports Media Watch, the NHL Winter Classic’s move a day earlier from New Year’s Day […]

Amazon pulls Diamond/Bally offer to fund RSNs

$115 million investment taken away as broadcaster plans to exit bankruptcy Anaheim Ducks dump Bally for new over-the-air/streaming venture [Editor’s Note: This article was updated at 4:47 p.m.] If you are in a Bally Sports market and hoping to stream your favorite games through Amazon, it won’t happen.   The tech and e-commerce giant announced Monday it was pulling its $115 […]

The Media Notepad: Marshall Harris exits CBS 2, Ryan Baker returns to sports beat

Also: Scripps Sports signs Stanley Cup champs; diginet Defy changes owners As first reported by the Sun-Times, CBS 2 (WBBM-TV) main sports anchor and sports Marshall Harris has exited the station, effective immediately. Harris verified the report on X/Twitter Tuesday: “In case you haven’t heard, I’ve officially moved on from CBS Chicago. I’m grateful for my time there. And I’m […]

The Media Notepad: Stanley Cup Game 7 scores for ABC

Also: Kenya Moore out at Housewives; Fox and Sinclair team up for new syndicated true crime show; Paramount looking to sell assets Even though the recent NBA Finals naturally drew a larger audience on average, the excitement of the Stanley Cup Final was unparalleled as the series lasted seven games with historic implications. The Edmonton Oilers – who won four […]

Amazon, Tegna score NHL rights deals

Tegna’s Pacific Northwest stations acquire almost all Seattle Kraken games; Amazon is the new home of SportsNet’s “Monday Night Hockey” in Canada A pair of NHL deals on both sides of the border sent a huge body check to cable TV. On Thursday, the NHL’s Seattle Kraken announced a new television rights deal with MacLean, Va.-based broadcaster Tegna, with at […]

Bally Sports to stick around after all – but with different name

  Say so long to the name but not the RSN: Bally Sports is getting a rebrand this fall.  It’s like Diamond’s regional sports networks are sticking around after all. As part of its reorganization plan last week, a Houston bankruptcy judge approved two key items: a $450 million debtor-in-possession financing package and a $495 million settlement from Sinclair, who […]

The Media Notepad: WLS-AM launches two new afternoon shows

Also: The latest Chicago radio ratings; Arizona Coyotes to move all games to broadcast TV Cumulus Media’s conservative talker WLS-AM recently announced they were adding two new afternoon shows to replace the departed Big John Howell Show. First from 3-4 p.m. weekdays is Closing Bell. Not related to the similarly-titled CNBC business news show airing at the same time, Bell […]

The dual Hollywood strikes: Where things stand now

Both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are om strike outside of Paramount Studios in Hollywood. With no settlement in sight, the entire 2023-24 TV season for scripted shows could be wiped out When SAG-AFTRA joined the WGA on the picket lines on July 12, the entire industry shut down and the thinking was, this would spur some kind of progress in […]

The Media Notepad: Cubs, Marquee to launch direct-to-consumer service

Also: NBC Sports Chicago plans extensive NHL Draft coverage; Magnum P.I. canceled a second time; Paramount Plus guts lineup as sale rumors of the studio swirl  Soon, they’ll be some relief for Cubs fans who are shut out of watching their games if they don’t subscribe to a cable or satellite provider or Fubo. As first reported by the Sun-Times […]